The Mamata Banerjee government picked up the template from both the Manmohan Singh and the Narendra Modi governments – during the protests against the 2012 Delhi rape and murder and the more recent farmers’ protests, respectively – to foil Tuesday afternoon’s march to the state secretariat proposed by two “apolitical” students’ organisations which have the vocal back-up of the state BJP.
Nabanna, the state secretariat across the Hooghly, has been heavily fortified with guard-rails and barricades around six foot tall and dug four feet deep into the ground to make them withstand any degree of force that the protesters might apply.
The government has imposed prohibitory orders near the state secretariat under Section 163 of BNSS – same as Section 144 of the old CrPc – restricting gatherings of five or more people.
The police are determined to ensure that the protesters coming from College Square do not get to cross the Vidyasagar Setu. Barricades have come up at Turf View Road, Hastings, Furlong Gate and Kidderpore road. Drones are flying above the state secretariat to keep a literal bird eye view on the marchers.
Videograb
Two other processions are scheduled to start from Howrah Maidan and Santragachhi. In both the places heavy police bandobast has been made.
Keeping in mind the violence that followed the state BJP’s march to the secretariat more than three years ago, cops have been stationed in the lanes and bylanes to ensure that the protesters do not sneak past the barricades on the main highway in front of the secretariat through the neighbouring localities.
While every attempt has been made to keep Vidyasagar Setu out of bounds, vehicular movement has been restricted to Kidderpore Road, Taratala Road, Circular Garden Reach, Hyde Road, JL Nehru Road, Rani Rasmoni Avenue, Red Road, Dufferin Road. Mayo Road, AJC Bose Road, SN Banerjee Road, Mahatma Gandhi Brabourne Road and the Howrah Bridge.
At the Howrah end similar barricades to stop the protestors en route have been set up at Santragachhi, Howrah Maidan, Foreshore Road, Lakshminarayantala and Mandirtala.
In a related development, leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday morning alleged four student activists – Subhojit Ghosh, Pulokesh Pandit, Goutam Senapati and Pritam Sarkar – have gone missing since midnight.
“The student activists who were distributing food to the volunteers, who were arriving at Howrah station, suddenly went missing after midnight. Neither can they be traced nor are they answering their phones. We apprehend that they may have been arrested/detained by the Mamata police. If something happens to them Mamata police will be held accountable,” Suvendu wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Calcutta police said the four have been arrested.
Traffic on Calcutta’s road was less than usual in the morning and many parents decided not to send their children to school.
